


Sharp Tongue

by sorrymumlmao



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, I've mixed like five different soulmate AU's sorry, M/M, One of those ones where your soulmate feels your pain, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, also the bruises and stuff show up, attempt at comedy, language warning, mentions of bokuaka, rarepair hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-06-02 09:19:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6560767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sorrymumlmao/pseuds/sorrymumlmao
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroo had very few encounters with his soulmate. The occasional scratches and bruises that seemingly appeared out of nowhere were to be expected. Shopping lists scribbled onto his palm featuring items such as adult magazines and nerf guns had grown into a norm over the years, but when Kuroo jolted at a sudden, precise pain and his mouth filled with that familiar metallic taste one thing became very clear to him. Kuroo's soulmate was a dick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sharp Tongue

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I'm just really upset with the lack of Terushima fics. I can't write, idc. This is trash. VERY EXPLICIT LANGUAGE WARNING

Kuroo was four when the scribbles on his hand struck him with curiosity. His eyes trailed along his skin as he watched the thick, green ink work its way in sharp turns and smooth circles across his palm. The lines stopped growing for a mere moment, before red began to intertwine with the green. Kuroo giggled when the ink would dip into the pit of his palm, a cool tickle running up his arm from the motion.

"Mum what's this?" Kuroo asked, sharp eyes still glued to the growing patterns that now began to appear on his wrist as well. Kuroo snapped his head when his mother released a soft giggle.

"That's your soulmate. They're probably having some fun with their markers," Kuroo tilted his head, not fully understanding the concept, "When your soulmate gets a mark on their body or feels some pain, you'll experience it too, so try not to get into too much trouble kitten, you wouldn't want to hurt them."

Kuroo continued to stare at his hand in absolute wonder, the lines somehow appearing even more mesmerising now he had this knowledge. Orange was added to the swirling mess and while Kuroo didn't particularly like orange, he couldn't deny it's appeal in that moment. Testing this newfound knowledge, Kuroo lightly pinched the webbing between his thumb and index finger. When the ink jolted and stopped its movements, Kuroo almost squealed in excitement, but the smile quickly faded when a pinching pain to his forearm elicited a high pitched yelp.

* * *

 

The years passed with little interaction with the mysterious entity.The shopping lists that would spring on his hand with obscure items and some inappropriate enough to make Kuroo chortle in class gave Kuroo a fair idea of who this person was, but for the most part Kuroo's soulmate made his life a pain. Stubbed toes, painful bruises and right hooks to the jaw all seemed to be something his 'soulmate' received far too often and the very unsubtle red and purple marks that would appear on his neck lead to far too many uncomfortable conversations with his parents.

So whenever Kuroo noticed those inky messages appear on his forearm, he had no problem with ignoring them. Kuroo would often find a messily drawled 'Hello?' appear somewhere on his body, but Kuroo never wrote back. Someone with such little respect for their supposed soulmate didn't deserve communication. Years of sudden pains and molars being spat out had made the teen bitter. He was certainly in no rush to be dragged into the life this person was leading, and if ignoring those messages prolonged that inevitable moment, then so be it.

The last straw wasn't drawn until the end of the summer break. 

With one week remaining before the beginning of his third year, Kuroo found himself lazed across a couch in Bokuto's house, the grunts and attack sounds coming from their current game of Super Smash Bros. Bokuto called for a best of 9, claiming that Zelda was  _still_ the best and was now resorting to cheap tricks like blocking Kuroo's field of vision.

"Bro, you  _know_ Zelda's the best, just admit it!" Bokuto yelled, shoving Kuroo with his broad, muscled shoulder.

"I don't know, but the results would say otherwise." Kuroo drawled out, that cheshire smirk proudly gracing his features when Bokuto's eyes widened to the size of dishes.

"Yeah, because...because you're cheating!"

Kuroo had been ready to counter with some snarky comment when that sharp tongue of his suddenly flared up in pain, "Fuck!" Kuroo cursed out, dropping the remote in favour of clutching his jaw. Bokuto squawked and made some remark about Kuroo's rubbish excuse for a soul mate and took the opportunity to whoop Kuroo's ass. 

"Hey, hey, hey!" Bokuto yelled, but concern quickly took over his features when he noticed Kuroo still clutching his jaw, "Shit bro, you okay?"

Kuroo's tongue felt like  _fire_. It wasn't the usual throb he was used to feeling when his soulmate received a blow to the face, and there was definitely no tooth waiting to be spat out. No, this was different. It was sharp, hot and  _precise_. The heat seemed to spread when the familiar metallic taste flooded his mouth. What the hell was this dick up to this time?

"What the fuck?" Kuroo tried to mumble, but his words came slurred and incomprehensible from the swelling of his tongue. Bokuto, used to the random bouts of pain, was quick to hand Kuroo a tissue to spit the blood into.

"That's not as much as usual," Bokuto thought aloud, his eyebrows knitting together and forming a deep furrow. Bokuto lightly gripped Kuroo's jaw in a silent command to open his mouth. Kuroo obliged, the sharp pain having now dulled to a throb. It was still searing hot and his tongue was too swollen to talk, but the initial pain had well and truly faded. Kuroo didn't miss the way Bokuto's lip quirked before saying, "Flick your tongue up."

Kuroo raised a questioning eyebrow, but when Bokuto didn't say anything, he shrugged his shoulders and followed the instruction. It hurt to move his tongue to the roof of his mouth, but he managed. Bokuto's eyes suddenly lit up, the gold seeming piercing as he let go of Kuroo's jaw. The questioning look on Kuroo's face did nothing to stop Bokuto's loud bouts of laughing.

"Vhat izh eht?" Kuroo slurred but by this point Bokuto was clutching his stomach, writhing on the ground. The occasional word managed to slip out of the teen's mouth, but any coherent sentence would be quickly cut off by another stream of laughter. Kuroo managed to make out 'your soulmate' and 'tongue', which Kuroo didn't find all that enlightening, in fact those were the only two things he already did know. Knowing the white haired teen wasn't going to stop his onslaught any time soon, Kuroo walked towards the nearest bathroom with a roll of his eyes to investigate himself.

Kuroo could still hear the hoots and roars of laughter from within the bathroom. With a flip of the light switch, Kuroo turned to face the mirror, chuckling at the slight drool that now trailed out of the corner of his mouth. When he opened his mouth, he didn't know what he was expecting but it certainly wasn't  _that._

At first he noticed the comically large size of his tongue, swollen to fill his mouth, but then he noticed the small, red dot on his tongue. He braced himself on the sink, hands clutching the porcelain tight as he leaned in closer to the mirror with furrowed brows. It was only small, a drop of blood pooling at the area. He quickly grabbed a tissue to dab at the blood and get a better look. A small indent directly on the centre of his tongue. At first Kuroo was confused, but then his grip on the sink suddenly tightened to the point that his knuckles turned white.

_No._

_No no._

_NonononononononoNONONONONO_

With a slight shake, Kuroo carefully lifted his tongue to the roof of his mouth, praying to God, Allah, Buddah, all the thousands of Hindi gods and Pagan nymphs of nature that it wasn't what he thought it was. When the tip of his tongue hit his mouth, the teen closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, not quite yet ready to witness what he already knew was there.

_It wasn't. It couldn't be. It had to be something else._

However when he opened his eyes, Bokuto's howls of laughter were replaced with a ringing in his ears. That small indent did in fact appear on the bottom as well. A clean cut going through his tongue that was, without a doubt, the telltale sign of a  _piercing._

"VHAT ZHE FUHCK!"

Kuroo could hear Bokuto's laughter again, talking nonsense about picking out jewellery for Kuroo's new piercing, but Kuroo was  _fuming_. For his whole life, this  _prick_ had shown Kuroo no regard and now THIS. Who did this punk think he was? Who the  _fuck_ pulls a stunt like that without ONCE considering 'Oh hey this affects someone else too.'

"We can get you one of those novelty ones that are like a marijuana leaf or something!" Bokuto howled but Kuroo was already storming towards the living room. Bokuto looked up at Kuroo, a shiver running down his spine at the sight of his best friend. Kuroo's eyes had turned to an icy glare, the one he usually kept reserved for when Bokuto chose to do a dump instead of a spike and screw up Kuroo's dependable block. Suddenly serious (and very afraid), Bokuto raised an eyebrow, "What is it, dude?"

"I vhant yoo to fpuhnch me in zhe fahce." Kuroo stated in a tone Bokuto was sure would have sounded very even and intimidating if not for the swollen tongue.

Blinking those gold eyes curiously, Bokuto merely responded with a confused, "I'm sorry, you want me to what?"

"Phunch meh in zhe fayshe." Kuroo repeated

"I'm not punching you in the face."

"Vhy not?"

"Dude, bros don't just punch bros in the face, that's not cool man." Kuroo growled at Bokuto's answer. While it was certainly the morally sound answer, it didn't exactly sate Kuroo's desire to kick this punk's ass to god damn New York. Assuming they of course didn't already live in New York, that would be a severely unimpressive ass kicking.

Out of frustration, Kuroo kicked the corner of the couch, jumping in shock when it inevitably stubbed his toe. He clutched his foot in pain and groaned a line of curse words before feeling slightly satisfied about the fact that it hurt that  _asshole_ just as much. Then the idea struck him.

Still hopping and cursing, Kuroo made his way to the small desk and picked up the pen that laid atop of it. Swollen mouth drawn into a smirk, Kuroo flopped back onto the couch and pushed the sleeve of his flannel shirt up to his elbows.

"Kuroo what are you doing?"

"Mahking shmall tahlk." Kuroo responded before letting the ink draw across his skin.

Kuroo started at his palm, just in case the dick was wearing long sleeves and wouldn't notice. Kuroo was tempted to just draw a dick on his forehead, laughing at the image of someone paying for their new piercing and male genitalia appearing on their forehead unbeknownst to them. The poor employee. However, Kuroo restrained himself for the mean time and settled on a simple, polite introduction across his forearm in the largest writing he could muster in the space provided.

 

**WHO THE _FUCK_ DO YOU THINK YOU ARE**

 

Kuroo rested his elbows on his knees, breathing ragged and angry as he waited for the cool tickle of a response to appear. Still seated, Bokuto threw up his current options. He could keep laughing (because it _was_ still funny) but that would definitely lead to a very strong uppercut, and he would prefer to keep his and Akaashi's jaws in mint condition thank you very much. The next option was to comfort Kuroo, but with the way the messy haired teen was burning holes into the opposite wall and tapping his foot, that could also very well lead to violence at his expense. Instead, Bokuto decided to merely take a seat beside Kuroo and watch the events in silence. 

When Kuroo felt the unmistakable tickle on the back of his hand. The sharp gaze was immediately redirected to the ink appearing on his hand, the words flying across his skin at incredible pace with small jumps and flicks. It was messy and full of energy and while Kuroo was certainly interested in the cursive that looked like it belonged to an 8 year old, the content of the message quickly tore him from that trance.

 

**Holy shit you're actually alive**

 

The muffled snicker from Bokuto would have set Kuroo off, but the message on his hand was far more frustrating. The grinding of his teeth was beginning to cause him pain but it certainly didn't stop him from continuing. Of course he was alive, who the hell was this person? Just because he took better care of himself to  _avoid causing his soulmate pain_ didn't make him dead. Kuroo found a free spot on his arm and continued to scrawl there, deliberately adding more pressure than necessary.

 

**I'D RATHER NOT BE WITH A FUCKING HOLE IN MY TONGUE**

 

The response was almost immediate, the tickling now coming from his calf. Bokuto raised an eyebrow as Kuroo hurriedly folded the leg of his pants upwards, but was still not daring enough to open his mouth.

 

**Oh my bad man, didn't think you really existed tbh**

And after a moment of pause:

**If it's any consolation it looks fucking sick**

 

Now he was really mad. Pinching the bridge of his nose Kuroo let out a shaky breath. He wasn't going to snap, everything was fine, it's just a tongue piercing, everything will be okay.

Unsurprisingly, these words he spoke to himself did nothing to calm him down.

"You zsure you vwon't vpuhnch mee in zhe fayshe?" Kuroo muttered.

"I'm not going to punch you in the face." Kuroo sighed in defeat as he rolled the leg of his pants back down and stood up, hands on hips and head tilted towards the roof as though he was deep in thought, "What are you going to do?" Bokuto asked, still a little scared because the answer could be anything from 'take a nap' to 'commit genocide' with Kuroo in this state.

Kuroo turned on his heel and sighed, now staring intently at the blank wall of Bokuto's living room. There were no paintings, no doors and Kuroo felt a little sad about the perfectly clean state the expanse of wall was in, "Shomezthing weally shtupid." Kuroo slurred out as he readied himself.

"Wait wha-" But it was too late. By the time Bokuto stood up, Kuroo had already gotten his run up and all he could do was watch as Kuroo's body flew across the air in slow motion, arms and legs spread wide as he landed face flat into the wall of the living room. The impact came with a loud thud, the entire front of his body colliding with the wall at full force. Bokuto's jaw dropped and Kuroo groaned in pain, knowing not only his tongue but his entire face would soon be swollen.

Kuroo curled himself on the floor beneath the now dented wall, half crying in pain and half laughing in satisfaction, "Fuhckingh jherk," Kuroo laughed out as he drew his knees up to his chest. Kuroo's nose was now bleeding but he didn't mind so much. The thought of that douche being hit with an invisible wall in the middle of the street was worth it.

However Kuroo's laughs and Bokuto's 'oh my god bro what the hell' were soon replaced with a scream as a sharp pain raged it's way through Kuroo's left hand. Kuroo stared at his pinky in shock, marvelling at the way it bent backwards.

"WHO ZHE FUHCK JUSHT BREAKSH THEIR FUHCKING FINGER?"

* * *

Two months passed by in similar fashion with the two strangers writing abusive messages and hurting themselves, though none quite as extreme as running into a wall or dislocating a finger. When Kuroo found out it wasn't broken, relief flooded him. He was only out of volleyball for a week. When Kuroo told the culprit, the response was simple:

 

**Well hey, at least you're not a setter, that'd be a problem**

 

Kuroo had given himself a hard pinch in response. He'd draw something obscene on his face later.

Clicking his tongue in the locker room mirror, Kuroo observed the obscene hole. He hadn't been able to eat for four days and he made sure the punk who caused it knew he was in pain. Kuroo had voted against following his soulmate in putting jewelry in it, not exactly caring for the idea of a metal intrusion, but the small hole still remained.

His team mates asked if he could move water through it and, much to Kuroo's disgust, discovered that yes, he could. This fact earned his soul mate another pinch to the arm.

Sometimes Kuroo found himself eating ice cream particularly fast, knowing the brain freeze would get deep into the other's skull as well. Stubbed toes and clumsy falls became a frequent occurence for the usually graceful Kuroo, and the angry scribbles he'd get in response just encouraged him further. Kuroo recognised that it was self destructive, and probably very unhealthy. When a scribble on his thigh appeared asking if he was a masochist, Kuroo genuinely had to stop and think about it. He didn't necessarily consider himself a violent person. He was usually very calm and collected, preferring to outlet his anger into volleyball. However, something about the person on the other side of those bruises just  _ticked him off_.

Maybe it was the years of blatant disregard towards his soulmate. Maybe it was the clear, delinquent behaviours. Maybe it was the fact that Kuroo now had his lobes pierced (he'd never admit it but they actually looked good on him). Or maybe it was just the cocky attitude and snarky comments.

With a heavy sigh, Kuroo moved from the mirror, deciding to get changed for practice. His team mates began to comment and make jokes about the series of new bruises stretching across the expanse of Kuroo's skin. The jokes had grown old and were lacking in originality, however just as Kuroo prepared to slip his jersey on, a sharp, hot pain hit his lower back. It wasn't too painful, not like the heavy punches his soulmate had been giving him, but the shock startled him. His muscles twitched, almost like a series of cat scratches were abusing his lower back, and it didn't seem to plan on stopping anytime soon.

Kenma came up from behind, "Kuroo..."

"What is it, Kenma?" Kuroo kept turning and twisting his head at odd angles to try and see what was happening, but the low position made it impossible despite Kuroo's flexibility, however he stopped when he saw Kenma's face. His eyes were wide and his bottom lip was drawn between  his lips as he watched Kuroo's lower back. Kenma almost looked...frightened, and for someone so calm, this concerned Kuroo, "What is it?"

Kenma's hands shook slightly as he pulled out his phone to take a photo of Kuroo's back. After the shutters clicked, Kenma carefully handed Kuroo the phone face down before hastily walking away, not wanting to be nearby when Kuroo realised.

First was denial.

Then anger.

Bargaining.

Depression.

Definitely not acceptance.

Kuroo continued to stare at the phone in front of him, studying the small, black line that was on his back.

"Oh fuck no." He breathed out before he felt the cool sensation on the palm of his hand.

 

**For when you punched yourself in the nuts. I was totally about to get laid. Hope you like the idea of matching tattoos, babe ;)**

 

"Yaku..." Kuroo begun.

"What's up?"

"I want you to punch me in the face."

A wide grin spread across Yaku's face, "Anything for the captain."

* * *

 

"So..." Daichi began, as he stared intently at the small of Kuroo's back. Kuroo could hear the sniggering of Karasuno's first and second year's, but by that point he was used to being the butt of everyone's joke.

"Yeah," Kuroo begun, "A god damn butterfly tramp stamp."

Nekoma had travelled to Karasuno for a practice match and it was in the change rooms that one Asahi mentioned the tattoo, more out of curiosity as to how a minor got a tattoo than the choice of work.

"Can you get it removed?"

"I called a clinic and everything. They can't do shit, it's up to whoever got it first."

"And the black eye?"

"Oh yeah, I asked Yaku to do that."

"Why?"

"Revenge."

"Won't that just stir them on more?"

"REVENGE, DAICHI." Daichi sighed in exhaustion, but Kuroo didn't miss the quirk of the captain's lips.

"Yaku did a good job on you then."

"He had it coming!" Yaku interrupted from a corner, eliciting a wave of laughter from both teams. 

"But you know," Daichi began, eyes suddenly serious, "What are you going to do when you meet them?"

Kuroo didn't even have to think sbout the answer, "Kill them."

"You know, people don't usually want to kill their soulmates." Daichi stated, eyes moving to Suga and immediately softening. Kuroo just rolled his eyes. Fucking sap.

Plenty of people had said that once they met, the petty feud would be over. That they'd fall in love and have babies and die in a retirement village in their sleep while holding hands or some other bullshit. Everyone said the fighting was pathetic and when he finally saw his soulmate littered in bruises caused by his own hands, he'd want to die then and there. _They_ also weren't being punched in the middle of class and having explicit pictures drawn onto the back of their neck.  _They_ weren't being harassed everyday.  _They_ didn't have a hole in their god damn tongue and a tramp stamp.

With a scoff, Kuroo merely said "Fate fucked up."

* * *

On the last night of Nekoma's trip, Kuroo found himself in a convenience store close to their hotel. Lev had convinced the others that lollies were absolutely necessary, which triggered a small scale revolution and as the threat of mutiny hung in the air, Kuroo submitted to venturing the foreign streets to fill their bellies with copious amount of sugar.

They didn't even tell Kuroo what sweets they wanted, they just pushed him out the door and chanted 'Viva la Candy'. In the end, Kuroo just grabbed a bag of everything. At the end of the day, none of them cared so long as it sated their cravings.

With both hands full and cradling bags of lollies, he waited in line, trying to add up the cost of each in his head. Why did he get stuck with paying for everything?

Impatiently, Kuroo stared at the man in front of him, wondering why it was taking so long to pay for an iced coffee. His track pants were laying low on his slim hips and his hair was cropped around the sides and the top was bleached beyond repair. Expensive looking sneakers peeked out from beneath the loose track pants and finally Kuroo's eyes laid on the pile of 5 yen pieces the punk was counting through.

Kuroo let out a very audible groan. Who even carried cash anymore?

"Sorry dude, just two seconds yeah?" The man stated in a cool tone, not bothering to look up from the pile of small change. He leaned further over the counter as the pile grew smaller and smaller. Kuroo bit on his bottom lip as his eyes snapped to the small expanse of skin now showing from where his white singlet had slightly ridden up. Kuroo stared at the pale skin just above the man's ass. It was smooth and pale but  _damn_ those muscles were toned, almost like arrows directing Kuroo's eyes further and further down...

To where he noticed a black line peeking through the clothing. 

"...And that makes 280!" The man cheered excitedly, suddenly snapping his back straight, the singlet covering his skin again. The clerk took the change with a roll of his eyes, not caring enough to count the money handed to him. The blonde then picked up the bottle and twirled it around in his fingers with a laugh as he turned around, "Sorry about tha-"

Kuroo met those gold eyes and heavily swallowed at the warmth from them, like they were going to swallow him whole.

But then he saw the black surrounding the skin around his eye. Dark, purple and puffy. Just like Kuroo's own.

"That's okay." Kuroo tried to say, but it came out more like a strangled whine. The blonde was now looking Kuroo up and down, analysing his physique which made Kuroo sweat in nervousness.

_Please don't have a tongue piercing please don't have a tongue piercing please don-_

Then there was eye contact again, but this time the man in front of him was smirking, confidence and sex appeal oozing from him, "Have a good night," He stated calmly, almost seductively as he began to walk away. Kuroo's eyes remained fixed on the gold eyes though, incapable of looking elsewhere. Just as the man was about to leave, he beamed at Kuroo.

_Shit._

The blonde's tongue stuck out slightly, and Kuroo's eyes widened when he saw the metal barbell balancing precariously between his upper and lower teeth. Kuroo wanted to say something, anything, but he was frozen, stuck in place by that self assured smile and those blazing eyes.

As the man reached his hand to open the door, he gave his own neck a light pinch with his free hand.

Kuroo jumped.

_Crap._

This time his emotions happened in a different order.

Bargaining. The cashier called out to Kuroo, snapping him out of his daze. 

Denial. Kuroo dumped the bags of lollies on the counter and got ready to pay, staring intently into his wallet.

Depression. The clerk packed the bags and Kuroo swiped his card with heavy fingers.

Anger. Kuroo grabbed the bags and ran outside, teeth grinding all the way.

Once again, acceptance never made an appearance.  

The door slammed behind Kuroo with a loud bang as he erratically turned his head, looking for that stupid, bad bleach job. Kuroo found him confidently leaning against a brick wall, iced coffee hanging by his side as he smirked at the sky. From this angle, Kuroo couldn't see the black eye,  and he had to shake away the fleeting thought that he looked at peace, leaning there and staring at the stars.

Kuroo stormed towards the figure, feet heavy and blood boiling. Kuroo still hung onto the hope it was some horrible coincidence, but when those eyes snapped towards him again and sent a light flutter through his veins, there was no doubt about it.

With laboured breaths, Kuroo demanded, "Shirt up, now." Kuroo glared into those eyes, wanting to see at least a small falter in that cool exterior, but he just continued to look amused.

"Not even gonna buy me dinner first?" He teased, but he was already turning around and lifting his shirt and lowering his pants to expose the butterfly. Kuroo groaned and turned away from the sight. He didn't need this, he didn't  _want_ this. He didn't need some asshole barreling their way into his life, even if they did have good cheekbones and an infectious chuckle and a smile that was lopsided in the cutest of ways. In frustration, Kuroo slammed his head onto the wall with a groan, which just caused the blonde to yelp and rub at his own forehead, "Jesus, you really are a masochist..." 

"Do you have ANY idea how much of a pain it is to have a fucking HOLE in your tongue?!" Kuroo bellowed, now pushing the blonde into the wall, ignoring the pain that hit his own back.

"Well I mean, yeah, I have a fairly good idea." He laughed, now moving the piercing between his teeth to demonstrate and Kuroo was  _definitely not turned on,_ "Flying into a wall isn't all that pleasant either you know."

"I couldn't talk for a week." 

"Yeah but aren't you glad now." He said with confidence, and Kuroo's eyes shot down to that tongue again and  _god dammit_.

"You got a fucking tramp stamp," Kuroo seethed, "Do you know how hard it was to explain to my parent's? 'Oh yeah, my soulmate likes butterfly tramp stamps' WHAT THE FUCK?"

"Oh yeah about that," He giggled nervously now, scratching the back of his neck as a light flush hit his cheeks, "It's just marker, my friends and I thought it would be funny to make you think it was permanent and just touch it up with marker. They just poked me a lot while we did it. I can wash it off."

Kuroo groaned again, pressing his forehead to the wall behind the man's head (this time using a lot less pressure, but definitely not to avoid hurting the blonde, definitely not). Kuroo's face was close to the crook of the man's neck at this point, and while his mind kept running through snarky comments and every bruise he's received in his life, the woody smell of the man kept clouding those thoughts, smoothing out the wrinkles of his anger.

Without warning, Kuroo straightened, staring the man in the eyes. Kuroo cringed at the dark purple that stained his soft skin, wincing as though he'd been punched all over again. 

"Okay, nice to meet you, I'll be leaving now." And Kuroo turned, heading back in the direction of the hotel.

"Hey, wait!" The man called but Kuroo kept walking. He didn't want his life flipped upside down, he didn't need this crazy ball of energy to determine his future, " I said wait, you piece of shit!" There was a loud clang and then they both yelled in pain, clutching their left foot and hopping in pain.

"Did...did you just kick a mailbox?" Kuroo asked, hopping back around to face the blonde, face twisted into disbelief.

"Well...it stopped you, didn't it?" The man panted out. Kuroo almost gasped when those eyes settled on him, blazing in determination. Kuroo heaved a breath as he settled his foot back onto the ground, toes still throbbing.

"I don't even know you, man," Kuroo begun, "Look I'll stop punching myself and shit okay? Just wash off that dumb marker."

As Kuroo turned to leave,a voice called out to him, weak and desperate, "Yuuji Terushima," Kuroo flinched and stopped in his tracks, internally slapping himself for being so pathetic.  _Of course his name sounds hot,_ "I'm a second year at Johzenji. I play wing spiker on my volleyball team, I'm also the captain. I look fucking dumb but I'm actually really good at math and shit. I'm an Aries, April 18. The bread at school doesn't taste the same anymore which is  _fucked_ like bread is so good, why do they have to ruin a good thing? It was so good and I mean it's still good but WHY? Apparently I give really good blowjo-"

"Okay!" Kuroo interrupted, slightly worried for the mental health of the children nearby. With a sigh and ruffle of his hair, Kuroo processed the information. While his head told him to keep walking, he couldn't help but focus on the fact that he was worried about the taste of  _bread_ and for some reason that's the most attractive thing anyone has ever said to him. Kuroo turned his focus onto Terushima's face, a twist in his stomach forming at the sight of the bruise. 

Terushima's eyes were wide, mouth slightly open in expectation. He looked...hopeful, and if Kuroo said he wasn't drawn to that shining look in his eyes, he'd be a god damn liar. 

"Kuroo Tetsuro," Kuroo stated, and the smile that spread across Terushima's face was heartbreaking. But that sweet smile was quickly replaced with that confident smirk again and okay, he'll admit it, it was hot.

Closing the distance between the two, Terushima asked, "So Kuroo, you got time to hang out?" The words were drawled and Kuroo found his own signature smirk returning to his face. Hell, he may have been taken aback for a moment there, but if Kuroo had one talent in life it was his quick wit and sharp tongue, and he may very well have found a worthy opponent.

"Sorry, I only spend my time with cute people."

"I'm sure that can be arranged."

"Interesting, I can't see any nearby."

"Well, that dumb hair cut is blocking half your vision, and the black eye probably isn't helping the other half. It's not your fault you can't see beauty." Kuroo laughed at that and looked deeper into those golden eyes, the way the light caught them and the small brown flecks. He could stare at them for forever.

Kuroo hadn't noticed how close they'd gotten until he felt fingertips weaving their way through his hand. When Terushima squeezed their palms together, Kuroo didn't even flinch. Somehow, the touch seemed to send waves of warmth through his body, a comfort like a warm blanket or a soft fireplace that just put him a tease. It was strange, how someone could feel like home. There weren't fireworks or earth shattering heart beats with every bit of eye contact, but when Terushima tilted his head with a warm smile and gave his hand a squeeze, Kuroo felt more at home than he ever had in Tokyo. 

Kuroo traced a small circle on the back of Terushima's hand, thinking of all the damage they'd done. Hell, that small, delicate pinky had been twisted into the most unnatural of directions.

"You know it's all your fault, right?" Terushima started. Kuroo furrowed his brows in confusion, but Terushima continued, "You never responded, and you never put yourself into too much danger. I actually did think you were dead, maybe comatosed or something. If I'd known I would have told you about the tongue piercing."

Kuroo let out a bellow of a laugh, looking up at the night sky. The stars looked nice tonight, clear and bright, "Some of us have more consideration for their soulmate than you," Kuroo chuckled, "And I never replied because you hurt yourself so much it was annoying."

"Yeah, I probably would have annoyed you more if you had replied. I never shut up." 

"I've noticed." Kuroo snorted, but the way his thumb ghosted over the back of Terushima's hand told a different story.

"So, did you want to feel it?" Terushima asked, confidently tilting his head.

"Huh?"

"The piercing, did you want to feel it?"

"I'm sorry what are y-"

"Well it's hardly fair you got a hole in your tongue for nothing." Terushima giggled,  _giggled,_ before lifting himself up onto his toes.

And with that, Terushima placed his free hand onto the back of Kuroo's neck, closing the distance between their lips.

Yeah, Terushima was a pain in the ass, but Kuroo had a feeling it'd be more than just pain in his ass.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is shit  
> idc  
> lmao


End file.
